Easily Manage Product Operations with the Aid of Digital Twin Technology

It’s time to bid adieu to the traditional manufacturing processes and welcome smart digital techniques that can run industries efficiently. Not only manufacturing plants but multinational companies, healthcare sectors, aerospace & defense, and automotive industries are all turning toward digitization during this Covid-19 pandemic phase. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital gadgets in various sectors. One of the digital technologies that is leaving an impact on the manufacturing sector is the digital twin. Research Dive’s report on digital twin market  states that the market is expected to generate $52,081.0 million by 2027. 

What is Digital Twin Technology?

Digital twin forms a bridge between digital and real-time world by creating replicas of any process, object, or service. The digital representations can be of cities, buildings, aircrafts, complex machineries, automobiles, human body or anything that acts as an asset. Digital twin technology is utilized for imitating processes, collecting data, and predicting how an object works.

Digital twin is a type of computer program that acquires data from the real world in order to generate simulations and estimate product performance. Big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, machine learning, and software analytics are key aspects for industry 4.0. If all these aspects are integrated with the digital twin then the output level is likely to be augmented.

 Apart from this, digital twin technology performs data analysis due to which issues such as downtime can be prevented. Moreover, monitoring systems, planning future simulations, and developing new opportunities are a piece of cake for digital twin technology. One can track down product development cycle right from the design stage to deployment via digital twin. Furthermore, a product can be tested and simulated before a prototype is built, thus reducing costs and identifying flaws if any.  

Where is Digital Twins Technology Applicable?

Digital twin technology is used in several industrial sectors and some of them are listed below:

1. Manufacturing Sector

Believe it or not, but digital twin technology has made an impression on the manufacturing sector by playing a crucial role at four different stages. Starting with the component level, digital twin brings the most important component of the manufacturing process into spotlight. This object could be rotor, blade, or a bulb. Next at the asset level, digital twin generates a replica of a particular part of the equipment that is used in the production, for example turbine or a motor. At system stage, the entire production line can be improvised with the aid of digital twin. In the last stage, overall process cycle of the product is monitored with the help of this technology.

2. Healthcare Sector

In the field of healthcare, physicians can use digital twins for anticipating the outcome of a surgical intervention. For example, a digital twin of a person’s heart can aid cardiologists in determining possible leads before a surgery. Apart from this, right therapy and treatment options can be determined by digital twin technology. Patient’s health data procured through digital twin enables doctors in making optimal decisions with regard to treatment of the patient.

3. Automotive Sector

In the automotive sector, digital twin creates a replica of a vehicle and captures its operations and behavioral data. This data is utilized for studying the overall performance of the vehicle.

4. Developing Smart Cities

 The usage of digital twin to build smart cities is likely to be cost-effective and also prevent failures during construction processes. City planners will be able to allocate emergency resources, manage traffic, and handle tourist spots efficiently through digital twin. For instance, ambulance or fire brigade services can directly access the virtual model of the city and act accordingly.

5. Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance using digital twin technology is a better option for identifying deviations and anomalies in company operations.

6. Retail Sector

Moving on, the role of digital twin in the retail sector can be surprising but it plays a significant role here. For instance, customers can check-out automatically and carry out transactions quickly. Moreover, digital twin offers creative delivery choices via mobile shops, pick-up sites, and batch drop-off. In addition to this, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, queue can be easily managed via this technology.  

Final Thoughts

Digital twin technology is not a new concept in today’s era but its usage has accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic. One can easily examine functions such as shaft rotations, thermal conductivity, and data collection from sensors with the help of digital twin. Furthermore, several manufacturing companies like General Electric are focusing on investing in research and development for boosting the usage of digital twin technology.         

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.